2020/10/16 by Yoshifusa Ita, John W. Menzies, Patricia A. Whitelock +6 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #astro-ph.SR #astro-ph.GA
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/mnras/staa3251
20 pages, 22 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS
arxiv created 2020/10/16 · arxiv updated 2020/10/28
The goal of this paper is to characterise the light variation properties of Mira variables in the Small Magellanic Cloud. We have investigated a combined optical and near infrared multi-epoch dataset of Mira variables based on our monitoring data obtained over 15 years. Bolometric correction relations are formulated for various near-infrared colours. We find that the same bolometric correction equation holds for both the bolometricly brightest and faintest pulsation phases. Period-bolometric magnitude relations and period-colour relations were derived using time-averaged values. Phase lags between bolometric phase and optical and near-infrared phases were detected from the O-rich (the surface C/O number ratio is below unity) Mira variables, while no significant systematic lags were observed in most of the C-rich (the C/O ratio is over unity) ones. Some Miras show colour phase inversions, e.g., H-K\rm s at its bluest while J-H and J-K\rm s are at their reddest values at about the bolometricly brightest phase. Their occurrence conditions were studied but no clear direct or indirect trigger was found. A large NIR colour change unassociated with stellar pulsation was observed in Miras with long secondary periods, and its possible explanation is described.